dancers come in and work with our people — I mean , free lessons . … And we ’ ve redesigned Art-A-Fair , so it ’ s more open —[ there ’ s a ] good flow of air , [ a ] good flow of traffic .
LBM : There are all of these exciting changes at Laguna Art-A-Fair , but the festival also has a very rich history . How do you honor that tradition while bringing in these fresh elements ? RR : We have artists that have been with us for over 20 years — some over 30 years — and it ’ s amazing . They keep the tradition of Art-A-Fair alive . … When a new artist comes in , … we have a buddy system and we assign them one of the older artists who ha [ s ] … been there to help them fit right in . … And yet , the new artists also have the ability to inject their new ideas , their new philosophies . … We ’ re trying to stay relevant , to stay up and modern , and at the same time not lose what made us so wonderful in the past , and we ’ re working hard to walk that line .
LBM : How are you encouraging engagement between artists , visitors and the local community ? RR : We ’ re very active in the Chamber now . … And we ’ re working with the other art shows — there are two other very good art shows . … We have tickets that allow them to get into all three shows , and it just encourages people to come down . They love coming down when they can walk from one show to the other … and they see 400 to 500 artists in one small area .
LBM : What are some of the biggest challenges for Laguna Art-A-Fair , and how will you navigate them to ensure its continued success ? RR : The biggest challenge is always having people show up and the economy … [ affecting ] people wanting to buy art . … The economy this year is surprisingly good . And so I think that ’ s going to be helpful for all the art shows , but we need to help people understand that … art is not just an … expensive
thing for the super rich . … We will have everything , from fairly inexpensive that almost anybody can purchase up to very expensive . … We try to emphasize the fact that if you come to our show , there is something there that you can afford .
LBM : Is there anything else that you ’ d like readers to know ? RR : Art-A-Fair … is going to be the place to be this summer . … There ’ s something for you there , even if it ’ s just walking around and enjoying the art . You ’ re not going to see this variety of art anywhere else . … You can walk up and talk to an artist that ’ s selling a $ 15,000 or $ 20,000 piece of art and they ’ ll stand there for an hour explaining to you how they did it and what they were thinking when they did it . That ’ s not an opportunity you get very often . And … we ’ ll teach you to paint , we ’ ll teach you to dance , we ’ ll show you beautiful work , and you can sit … [ on ] beautiful grounds . … I encourage everybody to come down and experience what the new Art-A-Fair is like . g
The
Butterfly Man ® d th
“ America The Butterfly ” Miniature Butterfly Cubes
“ Amazon Waters ” 18 ” x 26 ” “ African Fire ” 18 ” x 12 ”
Ken Denton , The Butterfly Man ®
“ Blue Mountain ” 18 ” x 12 ”
As part of Laguna Beach history , The Butterfly Man ’ s exhibit and sale is not to be missed . Exclusively at the Sawdust Festival-Booth 311 ; June 30 to Sept . 3 . 11:00am to 8:00pm at 935 Laguna Canyon Road .
“ Teardrops ” 18 ” x 26 ”
949.494.3635 • WWW . THEBUTTERFLYMAN . COM • kgd2 @ cox . net
LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 35